Fieldwork: Frequently Asked Questions

It is essential that you be a member of FOSA to participate in archaeological excavations. Once you express an interest in participating in an excavation, you will be placed on the email list for field-work participants for future notification.

To join FOSA, please visit our Membership page.

FOSA members participate in digs that are usually needed at relatively small sites where there is no money available to pay a contract archaeologist. The urgency of the excavation and the site characteristics determine the amount of time needed at the site to salvage all pertinent information. This could be 1 or more days a week. Hours are generally 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Volunteers should prepare for outdoor physical labor in a range of weather conditions. Wear sturdy shoes and dress in layers, particularly during the fall. While the OSA and FOSA provide most necessary equipment, bringing personal supplies of tick spray and insect repellent is highly recommended.

If you prefer to use your own gear, the following items are useful:

  • Excavation Tools: A 5-inch triangular masonry trowel, spade-type shovel, long-handled shovel, and hand clippers for roots.
  • Recording & Measurement: An English-metric tape measure, line level, clipboard, and pencil.
  • Cleaning & Collection: A 1-inch paintbrush, a whisk broom, a dustpan, and a bucket.
  • Personal Comfort: Work gloves, knee pads, a sweatband, and rain gear.

Lastly, you should also consider bringing a folding chair and lunch. And bring plenty of water!

The location of any given excavation site will vary; meaning that you could find yourself in the middle of a construction site, an abandoned field, on a hill/mountain, or in the woods. Nevertheless, if sanitary facilities are not available on-site, there will be some close by.

No souvenirs. No exceptions.

No. FOSA exists to assist the Office of State Archaeology in its excavation and related activities. However, all information resulting from excavations is filed in the archives of the OSA and the Connecticut Archaeology Center at the University of Connecticut. Artifacts found on private property belong to the owner of the site; and are distributed at their discretion.

Information on collections available on the web can be accessed starting at the CAC web site, by clicking CT Archaeology Center.

Perhaps surprisingly, over 5,000 archaeological sites are listed in the Connecticut site files. These sites date from over 11,000 years ago and the first peopling of the state, up to 50 years ago. However, many of them no longer exist: they’re now buried under highways or other constructions, excavated away, lost to natural activities (e.g., erosion), and so forth. Others are on private property and are not publicly available.

The OSA does maintain an database of sites in Connecticut; however, while site information is available, site locations will often be restricted. Depending on the site, some restrictions may be placed on who gets to see various parts of the documentation.

A primary reason for these restrictions is to prevent information getting out to potential site looters. Also, many of these sites are on private property whose owners do not want information to be made available.

There are a number of archaeological sites in Connecticut which have been designated State Archaeological Preserves. Informational booklets on many of these are available. For a listing of these sites, please access the Connecticut Archaeological Preserves.

If you have specific questions about archaeological sites in your area, it would be best to contact the CT Office of State Archaeology.